Holding Charleston by the Bridle: Castle Pinckney and the Civil War

Castle Pinckney, a pivotal fort in Charleston Harbor, influenced Civil War events from its construction in the War of 1812 through Reconstruction. On the eve of the Civil War, the London Times informed its readers that Castle Pinckney has "been kept garrisoned, not to protect Charleston from naval attack from the ocean, but to serve as a bridle upon the city." Located on a marshy island in the center of Charleston's magnificent harbor, the large cannons on the ramparts of this horseshoe-sha...